Head and Neck Complications of Bone Marrow Transplantation

Abstract

In the late 1950s, the technique of human marrow transplantation was first applied, and these initial attempts were viewed with enthusiasm as a means to treat blood dyscrasias or marrow failure. However, these early attempts often met with failure; in a study of 203 of the early marrow grafts, only 22 (11%) were unequivocally successful allogeneic transplants [1]. The problems preventing success included graft failure, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), bleeding and infectious complications resulting from marrow and immunologic ablation, and recurrence of disease [2]. During the 1960s, advances in histocompatability typing, pretransplant conditioning, immunosuppressive therapy, and improved supportive care and infection control laid the groundwork for a resurgence of human marrow grafting. Today, marrow transplantation is considered an effective treatment for severe aplastic anemia, acute leukemias, and immunodeficiency disorders [3–5] (see chapter 8).